Tag Archives: Rides

Reason To Ride

By Cycling Challenges, Diabetes, Rides, , ,

Why Ride? One Reason Of Many.

I haven’t posted anything about the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride until now. It was a great day out and, thanks to the generosity of lots of wonderful people, I’ve raised £370 to date for Springhill Hospice.

As the two weeks between then and now have passed, though, a few things have reminded me about one of the reasons I do the ride, and why I’ll try to raise the £500 each year while I can.

Around me, ordinary people are living ordinary lives, coping with extraordinary circumstances. Extraordinary to them, but ordinary in the grand scheme of things. Cancer is an all-too common cause of death.

Most of us will live our lives without being seriously troubled by infection, contagious disease, accident or any of the things that killed the generations that came before us. Conditions which killed people in years gone by are now managed by drugs, without serious complications if you take the drugs and the advice correctly – my diabetes is an excellent example of a condition which is managed now, but which 100 years ago I wouldn’t have been able to write about 20 years after my diagnosis.

For the people whose lives are shortened, I’m raising the money to help make their twighlight weeks more bearable. Not just the people who are leaving us, but the people who love them, too.

It’s this reason that sometimes gets me out on the bike; that gets me forgetting my shyness and asking you for money. I’m not precious about it: money’s tight and I don’t blame anyone who doesn’t contribute. I know that most people contribute elsewhere: I’m not special. But it’s heartening to think that something I do on a lovely day out on the bike is helping people at their most extraordinary time.

You can see the route on my DailyMile page if you click this link.

It was a bloody great day out on the bike though.  Let’s not forget that!

Manchester to Blackpool : Track My Ride

By Cycling Challenges, Rides, , , , , ,

Tomorrow, I’m riding from the Theatre Of Dreams to Blackpool, as one of thousands of cyclists taking part in the Bike Events Manchester to Blackpool bike ride.

I’m riding in memory of my Mum and donating all sponsorship raised to Springhill Hospice in Rochdale, a fantastic place that provides respite and end of life care to terminally ill people.  The help they gave to my family cannot be put into words, and they rely on donations to continue their wonderful work.

If you’d like to support me, and more importantly them, please visit my JustGiving page. Thank you.

How Do You Know I’m not Cheating?

Using the magic of Google Latitude, I’m making my whereabouts public for one day only.  By visiting this very blog page, you’ll be able to see (I hope), where I’m up to.  If I seem to be in Bamber Bridge for a long time, it’s because I promised my cousin I’d pop in for a brew. You’ve got to take your chances for free brews, haven’t you?

It’s not a race, but I’ll be happy to put 60 miles onto the #Jul100 sheet and raise some much-needed money for the hospice.  I’ve got my energy bars and my lift home, so I’m thoroughly looking forward to it… 🙂



 

Happy Days! A Slow and Smiling Weekend Ride.

By Cycling Challenges, Photography, Rides, ,

Before the rain came to stay, I took a couple of hours to make a slow offroad trip onto the moors and (to quote a friend) stop to smell the roses a few times.

There weren’t actually any roses, but there were a few lovely views.

Up and Under The M62

I set out on a loop through Milnrow, up across the M62 past Tunshill Golf Club.  I’ve cycled down this hill before, but never up it.  Now I know why!  Running out of gears, stamina and talent, I hike-a-biked most of the way to the top of the hill before things got easier.

The sunshine and clouds were lovely and two layers were all that were needed.  Perfect weather for a lone mountain biking trek.

Once the up was out of the way, the excellent trails on the moors so close to Rochdale, Milnrow, Newhey and Littleborough were fantastic.  A long, steady, mostly downhill undulating ribbon of fun unravelled in front of me, with my grin expanding as it did so.

Needless to say, I found a few minutes to stop halfway round Hollingworth Lake for a cup of tea and an apricot Danish, before a quick dash down to the canalside and the last couple of miles back home.

Happy Days 🙂

Now, let’s hope this rain doesn’t stay too long, eh?

Where Are You On The #Cycling Venn Diagram?

By 18 commentsTat, ,

You Can’t Beat A Good Venn Diagram About Cycling

… and this is nothing like a good Venn diagram.  It about cycling though. One out of two ain’t bad (to quote Meat Loaf on a forgetful day).

What Type Of Cyclist Are You?

What Type Of Cyclist Are You?

This Explains Everything!

  • Some MTB riders are also roadies (but not many)
  • Many bad and/or inexperienced riders own MTBs (because they’re accessible, can be cheap and easy to sit on)
  • If you have a roadie, the chances of you being a good cyclist are higher, but it’s not guaranteed
  • MTBs transcend all abilities. Some MTB riders are hopeless; some are genius

It also offers a few theories about why roadies view MTBs with such disdain (some of them do, don’t try to deny it).

The MTB fraternity includes everyone from the “bought a bike from Halfords, ride it on 2 sunny days a year” to “got a Ti boutique model imported from the USA for £7,000 and ride it, or one of its stablemates every other day“.  The roadie group is smaller and better at riding, to make a gross generalisation.

I’m in Marketing, gross generalisations is what I do.  Otherwise I’d never promote anything cost-effectively.

So:

On the basis that people are basically lazy and presumptuous, all MTB riders often get tarred with the same brush by the smaller, more elite, roadie community.

By the way, I see myself as a good MTB rider, towards the bottom left of the “good riders” ellipse, just within the “MTB” one.  Where are you?

Discuss…. 😉

How Will I Finish The #May100 ?

By 5 commentsCycling Challenges, Rides, , ,

Damn You, Cycling!

So far this month, I’ve cycled 89.96 miles, all of them leisure.  I don’t do that commuting lark as I work in a poncy suit in a poncy office and on the only dress-down day we have (Friday), I take my daughter to school which is 6 miles in the wrong direction.

So, What’s The Problem?

I always ride on Tuesday nights, for around 11.28 miles – not that I’m a creature of habit or anything!  Then ever other Saturday, I have the day to myself: I get a few chores done then I have a few hours out, and always hit somewhere between 25 and 30 miles.

No problem.  Until this week.

My schedule would have me do my 11.28 miles tonight and the #May100 would be done, woohoo!

 

 

Sunset Over Littleborough

On The Way Back From Tunshill With My Boy Last Friday

 

 

 

However….

Tonight is Tuesday.  Autopilot Loop night.  Tonight, Utility Masters Rovers Of The South United are playing in a football match against the mighty Gazprom (sponsors of Schalke and one of the biggest companies in the universe – but we’re just playing a bunch of chancers from the Manchester office).

So I can’t ride tonight.  “No problem“, I hear you cry, “Just ride over the weekend.”  Well, this weekend I’m off to Llangollen with a friend, white water rafting.  It’s going to be awesome.  But I won’t be riding my bike.

Tomorrow is Wednesday.  Regular footy night with the lads from work.  On Thursday I do the school run and we have a family evening.  On Friday we’re kid-free so it’s couples night.

I have to get those 11 miles in!  Now what?  Huh? 🙁

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